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Monday, August 29, 2016

Title: The Birth Of The Pill

Author: Jonathan Eig

Publisher: Pan Macmillan India

Review:

What does a revolution need? A dream, of course. What does
the achievement of that dream require? Research, plotting, manipulation, hard
work, dedication, agitation, resource and enough stubbornness to see it
through. Four pioneers — Margaret Sanger, George Pincus, John Rock and
Katharine Dexter McCormick — wrote a remarkable chapter of human history with
the discovery and propagation of the oral contraceptive for women. Jonathan
Eig, in his book ‘The Birth of the Pill,’ charts the evolution of birth control
while documenting the works of those involved in the process. He has written a
well-researched account of what went into making oral contraception available
to the masses.

The book though recounts of what’s already known about the
discovery of oral contraceptive, it also adds a significant amount to what went on
behind the scene. It is in no way a mere compilation of scientific jargon,
rather, the narrative provides a glimpse into the American society of that era.
It also highlights the political scenario of the said time period.

The book opens in 1950 with Sanger looking to science for a
contraceptive that women could control and that was extremely effective. There
was the condom and the diaphragm but while the former depended on the whims of
men and their preferences, the latter wasn’t a full proof option against
unwanted pregnancy. Against this backdrop, Sanger sought out Gregory Pincus who
was a former Harvard University biologist. He had been chucked out from the
university for his unorthodox methods. The press had nicknamed him “Victor
Frankenstein” for his efforts to mate rabbits in a Petri dish, experiments that
were the predecessors of in vitro fertilization. With initial funding from
Sanger, Pincus developed a hormone treatment for rabbits and rats that
prevented ovulation in the females of the breed. Sanger then enlisted
philanthropist and suffragist Katharine McCormick to fund the development of a
similar hormone treatment for women. Gynecologist John Rock, the fourth
“crusader,” teamed with Pincus on his research. By the mid-1950s, they had developed
a working trial of what is now universally known simply as “the pill.” These
activists and researchers made some dubious ethical choices like running human
trials on non-consenting asylum patients but it was for the greater good. Eig
doesn’t judge them for their shortcomings and gives the reader their freedom to
come to their own conclusion.

The breezy tone employed by the writer calls for an easy
reading. The use of medical terms has been kept to a minimum. But the book
tends to be repetitive and without a proper chronological order. At times the
narrative jumps around a lot creating unwanted confusion. Nevertheless, the
appeal of the history behind the inception of the contraception is worth
knowing.

Buy Link:

About the Author:

Jonathan Eig, a former senior special reporter at the 'Wall
Street Journal', is the author of three highly acclaimed books, two of which
appeared on the 'New York Times' bestseller list. His first book, Luckiest Man:
The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig (Simon and Schuster, 2005), won the Casey
Award for best baseball book of 2005, his second book, Opening Day: The Story
of Jackie Robinson's First Season (Simon and Schuster, 2007), was named one of
the best books of the year by the Chicago Tribune, Sports Illustrated and the
Washington Post. In his third book, Get Capone (Simon and Schuster, 2010), Eig
discovered thousands of pages of new material on Capone, affirming his
trustworthy reporting reputation in what the New York Times called a
"multifaceted portrait," a "gore-spattered thriller," and
"as much a dark history of urban America between the world wars as it is
another mobster's life story." And in 'The Birth of the Pill', Eig again
tackles an enormous volume of unexamined personal correspondence in this original
and richly textured narrative.

* I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Do you like smokin’ hot, taboo short stories? Then we have got a sale for you!

The very naughty author T. S. Irons is preparing to release Brat Out of Hell, the short story follow up to Stepdaddy Dom. To celebrate this event, she is putting all her books on sale for .99¢ This sale runs August 22 - August 28.

Let us show you what she has, but be warned, these titles may cause your e-Reader to melt!

My life was almost perfect. I had a job I loved that made me a ton of money. I had the perfect wife who was sexy, smart, and loved to play games in the bedroom. And then there was Riley, my eighteen-year-old stepdaughter, the bane of my existence. She was a spoiled brat that needed to be taught a lesson, and I was going to bend her into submission.

Brat Out of Hellby T.S. Irons

#BDSM #taboo #erotic

RELEASING SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

PRE-ORDER NOW

Step-daddy said I was a spoiled brat and needed to be taught a lesson. Well, two can play that game. If he wouldn’t play with me, I’d find someone else to take the dungeon. I didn’t plan on getting caught. Next, I was kicked out of the house, landed on the doorstep of the Church of the Brotherly Bonds. Pastor Damian was too hot to be a man of the cloth. Seeking salvation has never been more fun.

They say everything is bigger in Texas. I witnessed it first hand: the men, egos, and lifestyles. I was smack dab in the middle of it. My name is Cassandra Wade. I gave up a successful modeling career to be the trophy wife of Jackson Wade, the famous oil magnate. It would have been great if it weren’t for Jackson’s twin sons, Derek and Damon. They were polar opposites: the angel and the devil incarnate. While Jackson offered me security, Derek and Damon offered something very different. Something I tried to resist, but the urge and desire was too strong and I succumbed to temptation. What will happen if Jackson finds out? It’s sure to be an epic battle of wills because losing isn’t a word the Wade men tolerate.

Drew Reynolds was the most beautiful woman in the world to me. We grew up together, and I’ve watched out for her since we were children. She was the Hollywood “It” Girl—flirty, outrageous, and always in trouble.

I’ve been her protector, her rock, her savior. I also happened to be her stepbrother, and completely infatuated with her.

Growing up in Hollywood, we’ve always had an unconventional family. Nothing is ever as it seems. When the lines between reality and fantasy become blurred, what’s a guy to do?

Should I push aside my feelings of desire or cross a line I’m not sure either one of us can come back from?

I lead a charmed life on the Upper East Side of New York with a doting daddy who adored me.

Then one day it all came to a screeching halt. I escaped the only life I had known. In a new town with a new identity and no friends, I had two choices—wallow in pity or embrace my new life and the possibilities it could bring me. With the FBI in pursuit, I decided to stop worrying about things I had no control over.

I was free from the proper, privileged life I had lived. I was also free of a very boring, uptight boyfriend whose idea of sex was five minutes in missionary position followed by a shower to clean himself off. Now I could take a journey and follow my own sexual urges.

It was all fun and games until Patrick Shannon showed up with a beer and pizza and wanted to talk, which lead to him spending the night. As feelings brewed beneath the surface and the FBI closed in, I grew anxious. Should I take a chance with Shannon, who pissed me off just as much as he excited me? Or should I flee the man I was falling for to stay one step ahead of the FBI?

Monday, August 22, 2016

Title: Hemingway In Love

Author: A.E.Hotchner

Publisher: Pan Macmillan India

Review:

Acclaimed author and feisty nonagenarian A.E. Hotchner in
his book ‘Hemingway in Love’ offers a verbatim recollection of conversations
that occurred between Hemingway and himself in several locations, spread over a
span of several years. The book includes incidents about Hemingway’s first
marriage to Hadley Richardson, which ended when he fell in love with Pauline
Pfeiffer. After divorcing Hadley, he married Pauline, quickly discovering
that he had made a huge mistake. He confessed to Hotchner that his first wife
was the love of his life and whom he sought for as long as he was alive.

Hotchner affectionately reflects on his friendship with the
iconic novelist in this book. In the spring of 1948 he was assigned by
Cosmopolitan to get an article on “The Future of Literature” from Ernest
Hemingway. He never did manage to finagle the predictive think piece from
Hemingway. But what happened was that the meetings turned into a lasting
friendship with the passage of time. The piece that Hotchner was supposed to
get burgeoned into two substitute short stories and came out Across the River
and Into the Trees, which Cosmo ran in three parts.

The writer reminiscences his time with Hemingway. They drank
together. And how they talked! Hemingway trusted Hotchner and opened up to him
in Cuba, New York, Paris, Venice, on the Riviera, in Madrid, Sun Valley, and
finally at the Mayo Clinic. This particular book doesn’t delve much into
their personal relationship. We get a glimpse of Hemingway’s love life instead.
It is the portion that Hotchner had to — and that he chose — to leave out from
“Papa Hemingway,” a memoir that he penned fifty years ago, in reverence to
Hemingway’s fourth wife and widow, Mary. There actually isn’t much new
information in this memoir. Those who’ve read the previous one would certainly
be disappointed but for those who haven’t, this is a chance to get to know the
actual Hemingway.

Memoirs can be biased because of the closeness between the
subject and the writer. Though Hotchner portrays Hemingway as sad and lonely,
he fails to generate sympathy for the man. Instead, the novelist emerges here
as self-absorbed, childish, and unbelievably naïve in his demeanour. However,
it does generate enough curiosity for the reader. I’d recommend the book to all
those who like their share of memoirs and also to those who’d want to know
Hemingway.

About the Author:

A.E. Hotchner is a life-long writer and the author of O.J.
in the Morning, G and T at Night and Papa Hemingway, the critically acclaimed
1966 biography of his close friend Ernest Hemingway. Hotchner's memoir, King of
the Hill, was adapted into a film in 1993 by Steven Soderbergh. In addition to
his writing career, Hotchner is co-founder, along with Paul Newman, of Newman's
Own foods. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and pet parrot, Ernie.

Friday, August 12, 2016

Title: Stories of Work, Life & the Balance in BetweenAuthor: Tomson RobertPublisher: The Write Place

Review:

Tomson Robert’s ‘Stories of Work, Life & the Balance in
Between’ is not a self help book but it aims to inspire a little bit of hope. In
this tiny collection of ten short stories, the writer offers, for the most
part, variations on a single gimmick and a few limited situations. The stories
are essentially fictitious but have uncanny similarity to situations in our
everyday life. People in the corporate world — who are meant to work 24x7 365
days a year — can especially connect to these situations.

Success, development and growth come with a price. But is it
worth the cost? We all know this truth. We know that when we want to succeed in
life, we have to give up the simple joys in order to achieve another kind of
happiness. Tomson develops a clear theme in book: success doesn’t lead to
happiness. Happiness leads to success. The things we think will make us happier
often don’t. And we want to believe it or not, all of us undergo similar
circumstances where we prioritize wrongly.

Each story gives a gem of an advice. Some of the worth
mentioning pointers are: “It doesn’t matter what you have learned, what matters
is your willingness to learn new things;” “It is difficult to say what is
impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of
tomorrow.” It closes with a fundamental principle of life: “Don’t stop having
fun – be it work, life or the balance in between.”

The content of the book shines through in a clear, sincere
way that is sure to inspire the reader even if it lends nothing new to their
understanding.

Buy Link:

About the Author:

Tomson Robert is a Management Consultant by day and amateur
author by night. He is husband to a beautiful wife, father to an adorable baby
girl and was raised (along with a smart younger brother) by loving parents in ‘God’s
own country,’ Kerala. Currently, he is living in Dubai and working for a
consulting firm.

Title: Eye of the Eagle

Author: Shirsendu Mukhopadhyay

Publisher: Bee Books

Blurb:

Shivangi is found in the bedroom, lying half naked and fatally injured.

All evidences are pointing at Bishan. But, is it that simple?

And the truth…

Eye of the Eagle delves into the complications of relationships and world of
complicated characters where mystery unfolds only through the eyes of Detective
Shobor!

Review:

‘Eye of the Eagle’ thrives on ambience, which the writer, Shirshendu
Mukhopadhyay, establishes right away with an ongoing interrogation of Bishan
Roy, the prime suspect in a murder case. Readers never know any more than the
protagonist does.

Shirshendu is known for writing stories with numerous
layers. At first glance what appears to be a linear story line actually has so
much to offer that only the person who can read between the lines comes out as
a wise reader basking in the unsaid. ‘Eye of the Eagle’ is no different. It’s a
story of intense sexual relationship, woven together with mystery and suspense.

The story revolves around a handsome vagabond of a man who’s
been sexually exploited by various women since childhood and thus has no
affinity for women or sex. At times, when he feels suffocated, he goes on a
vacation for a few days with his criminal friends without letting anyone know.
There, he indulges in wine and women. After one such visit, he comes back and
finds his beautiful wife lying in a pool of blood and her secretary/confidante
shot. The wife goes into a coma and that is when Shabor enters the scene to
investigate the case and take the story forward.

As the story progresses, Shabor Dasgupta — a Lalbazar police
detective — has to deal with the complex relationship problems that run deep in
the Roy household and the mystery gets more and more complicated as each unseemly
knot is untied.

It is a translation and hence I won’t comment on the writing
style. The use of short sentences makes for an easy read. The characters are
flesh-and-blood but I think would have been better justified with a little more
development. It seemed wanting. It is more like watching an ongoing
conversation with gaps in between that only one privy to the lives of the
concerned can deduce. In spite of the creaking dialogues and halting,
step-by-step-by-step deductions, which guarantee a glacial pace, the reader’s
curiosity can’t be kept at bay.

The charm of this novella has been turned into a Bengali movie which is to hit the big screen this Independence Day.

I recommend this novella to all those who find themselves
amply rewarded by detective tales that more often focus on the how and why than
the whodunit part.

Buy Link:

Saturday, August 6, 2016

✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫ღ˚ •。* ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。

✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫★ *˛ ˚♥ * ✰

˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ *˛˚ KARMA BOX SET BY SAMANTHA JACOBEY ˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚

..✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫ღ˚ •。* ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。

✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫★ *˛ ˚♥ * ✰。

Blurb:

The Magical Adventure continues!

If you liked the Summer, Dark and Forgotten Angels in the first segment of the Summer Spirit Novella Series, you are going to LOVE what happens when Karma gets involved. Are they a race of ancient beings, here for the benefit of mankind? Or is a group of marauders poised and ready to strike us down when we least expect it? Charlie must find the truth and his inner strength for any hope of freeing Clarisse and ending the battle… (New Adult)

No one EVER had a summer romance like this. When Charlie visited another plane parallel to our own, he discovered that Summer Angels and Dark Angels battle over the fate of man. Faced with choices no one should ever have to make, his adventure has been fraught with twists and turns, with life and death hanging in the balance. His guardian, Clarisse, is the half that makes him whole, but sinister forces conspire to do more than simply keep them apart. Find out if they can stand up to the powers that be in this THRILLING MAGICAL ADVENTURE!!! (New adult)

Summer Angel - A Summer Spirit Novella… What would you do if you discovered Guardian Angels are real?

Charlie and his parents had planned a fabulous summer vacation; the last one before he heads off to college. Things go mysteriously awry when the young man meets Clarisse; he finds himself separated from his parents and on a different sort of holiday.

Caught up in a strange adventure with the slender blonde, Charlie learns right away that things are not what they seem. She easily convinces him that her magical powers are real, and introduces him to a world mankind has only dreamt of. Promising to have him reunited with his family soon, the girl takes him on a gallery walk of life, using her abilities to give him a summer vacation he will never forget... and then again, may not even survive.

Charlie and his girlfriend met last summer, after his awakening from a near death experience. Their love grew while his body healed, and after a few short months, he had come to believe she was the girl of his dreams. But Donna has a secret; one she had never intended to share with the love of her life.

While Charlie’s physical being had lain in a hospital, his spirit had traveled to another dimension - her world - where the forces of light and dark collide. When he had returned to the living side of consciousness, Clarisse stole Donna’s body, claiming it and giving herself a second chance at life and love. Of course, people who die are meant to stay dead, and there will be rough times ahead as Keeper, head of the angels, decides how to put things back in order...

Forgotten Angel - A Summer Spirit Novella… Can love transcend death for a Guardian Angel?

When Clarisse took her own life, she wanted to spare Charlie’s suffering at the hands of Gous. He watched her die in a most gruesome fashion, and had to learn to live without the girl of his dreams in the physical sense. Instead, he managed to maintain contact with her, and brought new meaning to the term ‘long-distance relationship.’

In the weeks following their separation, Charlie returns to his home town. A commanding presence, the temptation to meddle in the lives of those around him becomes overwhelming. as does Clarisse’s desire to interfere with his. Tempers flare, and the girl flees, leaving him at the mercy of Gous and the dark path that lays before him. By a twist of Fate, Charlie’s world spins further out of control, and he sets off to find her on what could be his road to redemption. Will their love survive when he discovers the truth about his abilities? Or will the powers that be finally claim their forgotten angel...

Anyone who knows me could tell you, I am a friendly kind of person, never met a stranger and take up conversations anywhere at any time. I work hard, and my mind never seems to shut down, as I wake up often in the middle of the night with ideas pouring out and demanding to be dealt with. Of course that means much of my books were written in the middle of the night.

I grew up and still live in the great state of Texas where everything is bigger, where we have warm weather and a central location. I love my state, my town, and my family, which includes my four sons, my significant other, and many friends as well.

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing the books that are currently available and hope you will enjoy reading them just as much. And of course, there will be many more stories to come.

Friday, August 5, 2016

Vikramaditya and his Council of Nine have fought valiantly to repel the rampaging hordes from Devaloka and Patala – but Avanti has been brought to its knees. Ujjayini lies battered its citizens are scared and morale is badly shaken. Meanwhile, the barbaric Hunas and Sakas are gathering on the horizon and cracks are emerging between the allied kingdoms of Sindhuvarta.

The only silver lining is that the deadly Halahala is safe. For now.

Bent on vengeance, Indra is already scheming to destroy Vikramaditya, while Shukracharya has a plan that can spell the doom for the Guardians of the Halahala. How long can the human army hold out against the ferocity and cunning of the devas and asuras? And will Vikramaditya’s love for his queen come in the way of his promise to Shiva?

The deadly Halahala, the all-devouring poison churned from the depths of the White Lake by the devas and asuras, was swallowed by Shiva to save the universe from extinction.But was the Halahala truly destroyed?A small portion still remains – a weapon powerful enough to guarantee victory to whoever possesses it. And both asuras and devas, locked in battle for supremacy, will stop at nothing to claim it.As the forces of Devaloka and Patala, led by Indra and Shukracharya, plot to possess the Halahala, Shiva turns to mankind to guard it from their murderous clutches. It is now up to SamratVikramaditya and his Council of Nine to quell the supernatural hordes – and prevent the universe from tumbling into chaos!A sweeping tale of honour and courage in the face of infinite danger, greed and deceit, The Guardians of the Halahala is a fantastical journey into a time of myth and legend.

About the Author

Door-to-door salesman, copywriter, business journalist & assistant editor at The Economic Times; Shatrujeet Nath was all this before he took to writing fiction full-time. He debuted with The Karachi Deception in 2013, followed by The Guardians of the Halahala and The Conspiracy at Meru, the first two books in the VikramadityaVeergatha series. At present, he is writing volume three of the series. Shatrujeet lives in Mumbai, but spends much of his time in the fantasy worlds of his stories.